Unit 3: Applying BIOinteractive to my own classroom

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What Will I Learn in Unit 3?

This unit will provide the learners with the foundation of knowledge needed to integrate a online multimedia simulation from the BIOinteractive website into their own classroom. The learners will utilize a graphic organizer that is aligned with the Understanding by Design (UbD) framework to guide them in creating a lesson with this BIOinteractive platform. This unit gives learners the necessary tools to transfer their understandings from earlier units in this mini-course to apply them into their own classroom.

Unit 3 Learning Objectives

Learners will be able to select an applicable simulation to be used in their biology classroom to supplement student learning
Learners will be able to identify the elements of a UbD lesson and describe how they can design or synthesize their own lesson using BIOinteractive with the UbD process
Learners will be able to identify the learning outcomes of their selected BIOinteractive simulation and outline their instructional goals with a graphic organizer
Learners will be able to evaluate their progress in this course and abilities to transfer their learned skills into their own class by completing a checklist

Introduction to the Understanding by Design Process:

The Understanding by Design (UbD) Process is a lesson plan format that focuses on desingning instruction backwards. There are 3 phases of the process and this framework provides the necessary steps to ensure that learning objectives, assessments and learning activites are aligned to meet the needs of the students. Each of the phases are outlined below with what they entail.

Phase 1. Outlining Desired Results/Learning Objectives- The instructor identifies what they want the students to able to accomplish by the end of the unit. These learning objectives should be detailed and specific with regards to time. Many teachers use the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) criteria to assist them in writing the learning objectives. The smart criteria ensures that the goals we create for students have a blueprint to achieve them. An example of a SMART learning objective in this course is: Students will be able to describe the elements of the UbD process and create their own lesson utilizing the BIOinteractive website and a lesson plan template by the end of this course.

Phase 2. Determining Assessment Evidence- "Backward design encourages teachers and curriculum planners to first think like assessors before designing specific units," (McTighe & Wiggins, 2012, p. 5). There are two types of assessment evidence that should be considered in designing the lesson. These include performance tasks and other evidence. Performance tasks "ask students to apply their learning to a new and authentic situation as means of assessing their understanding and ability to transfer their learning," (McTighe & Wiggins, 2012, p. 5). This means that students must be assessed for their ability to transfer their knowledge into a real world situation. This can be done through using authentic assessments or activities where students must problem solve. The key idea is assessing for ability to transfer knowledge. Other evidence are the traditional quizzes, tests, observations to give a better picture of what students are capable of and know. Planning out when to collect both pieces of evidence are critical for the UbD process so that student abilities can be measured.

Phase 3. Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction-- The final phase of the UbD process occurs after you determine the SMART goals and assessment evidence to be collected for your lesson. This is when the instructor can select learning activities that align and support the first two phases. Thus, the selected learning activities should target ways in which students can achieve those goals and also allow students to apply their knowledge on the assessments. When using BIOinteractive simulations, learning can be furthered by providing students with opportunities to discuss and document their experiences with the technology. Examples of learning activities that can support students while using this educational resource include graphic organizers, Venn diagrams, discussion forums, multimedia images, charts, Socratic circles, KWL charts, concept maps and also notes sheets.

More information on the UbD can be found in the reading here: Media:UbD-Framework_(1).pdf

Unit 3 Learning Activity 1

1. Select a BIOinteractive simulation of your choice that you wish to integrate into a lesson plan. The available BIOinteractive simulations can be found at this link: https://www.biointeractive.org/classroom-resources

2. Use the template provided below to outline your desired results and create SMART goals for your students that you wish for them to achieve by the end of your lesson. Keep in mind 2-4 goals is ideal for one lesson. This document has been adapted from Smartsheet.com

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yItuLIV_2UFJ80o4bECGp_1bEquPopgUWp1yN4ac568/edit?usp=sharing

3. After writing your SMART goals, think about the type of assessment data that you will need to collect for your students. Fill out the chart here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sGAnGmhvOUDvf08AcFHHnkWuC0peDuvWB7nlcRdx8mA/edit?usp=sharing to align your assessment evidence with the SMART goals for your BIOinteractive simulation lesson

Unit 3 Learning Activity 2

In this learning activity, you will use the SMART Goals and Assessment evidence from learning activity 1 to create a lesson plan for your selected BIOinteractive simulation. Fill out the template below to guide you in writing your lesson plan. Be sure to also document what Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) that your BIOinteractive simulation and lesson will be aligned with. A copy of the standards for biology/living environment can be found below also.

Lesson Plan Template: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lPq8z1NYDLxpC_vY0IDCce4Kx9EFZtJydMEyiTRcvNQ/edit?usp=sharing

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) : Media: Hs-science-learning-standards_(2).pdf

Unit 3 Learning Activity 3

After you have completed learning activities 1 and 2 for this unit, use this checklist to evaluate and reflect on your lesson plan that you created using a BIOinteractive simulation. This checklist is aligned with the UbD process and will ensure that all of your SMART goals, assessments and learning activities are aligned. This framework will ensure that your lesson runs smoothly and your students will meet the desired results you intend for them to achieve by the end of your instruction.

UbD Checklist: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1C94uPXJ4ETxd8RqZ6mCKSoi3Y4GSgg1o--XN0qerTK0/edit?usp=sharing

You may submit your final lesson plan you created in learning activity 2 and completed checklist from learning activity 3 to this google drive folder. Please ensure that you have your name and selected BIOinteractive simulation title written on the lesson plan.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/135vTPR09h7HL4AI9YcqmzwHNHe9fnj3l?usp=sharing

Feel free to review and evaluate any other lesson plans in the folder created by your peers using the UbD process checklist.
If you choose to do a peer evaluation, it will be beneficial to share your feedback to them of their lesson plan in the google drive folder also. Please title the feedback with the following format "YourLastname_Peerfeedback_NameofBIOinteractiveSimulation".
For example, if my last name is Smith and I reviewed a BIOinteractive lesson on Interactive Case Study for The Search for a Mutated Gene, I would title the file as "Smith_Peerfeedback_InteractiveCaseStudyforTheSearchforaMutatedGene".

Resources

Bybee, R. W. (2013). The next generation science standards and the life sciences. The Science Teacher, 80(2), 25.
McTighe, J., & Wiggins, G. (2012). Understanding by design framework. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.